True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young. Page: 71
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HOUSTON AND HOUSTONIANS 71
the same route, almost as quickly as the ghost. Then, in a perfect
agony of fear, the ghost made for the sidewalk again,
choosing for his route the first open door he saw, which chanced
to belong to a little tailor shop. In they went, like a couple
of wild horses, knocking down shelves, overturning tables and
wrecking the place completely. By this time the ghost was convinced
that the victim had secured a bowie knife and was only
waiting to get near enough to him to rip him into bits. The
thought put new life and energy into his legs, and reaching the
sidewalk he lit out in true Marathon style. He had seen the
folly of trying to dodge into stores, so kept to the open street.
The victim was as anxious to capture him as he was to escape,
and took after him, also with renewed energy. Not one word
had been spoken up to this time. The chase, barring the
crashes in the cigar store and tailor shop, had been conducted
amidst profound silence. After going four blocks in something
like a fraction of a second, the victim managed to get near
enough to the ghost, and to find breath enough to say, "Hold
on, you fool. I don't want to fight you; I want to kiss you for
being alive."
That was all. He was so glad that he was not a murderer
that he wanted to kiss his supposed victim. It was a terrible
load that was lifted from his mind and heart and he was crazy
with joy. He felt such relief that he forgave everybody who
had anything to do with the duel and the subject was allowed
to die out by the principals. The joke was so evenly divided
between these two that neither had any advantage.
That, I believe, is the last "affair of honor" that has occurred
in Houston.
MRS. BURKHART AND THE BOYS.
OT so long ago one of my legal friends asked me to go
with him to locate a fence that was built long ago
along Preston Avenue to the bayou, near the bridge. The
question to be determined was whether there had been a fence
there or not and if there had been, where it was located.
That visit brought back more amusing memories than any
other locality could have possibly done. The property under
dispute was formerly owned by Mrs. Burkhart. She owned the
whole block on the bayou between Prairie and Preston, fronting
Smith Street. She had no more idea of riparian rights than she
had of the constitution and by-laws of the Fiji Islands, and
when she built her fences she covered all the land and as much
of the bayou as she could. Having erected her stronghold, she
stood ever ready to defend it against intruders. Dickens' old
lady who carried on relentless war against donkeys was not
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Young, Samuel Oliver. True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young., book, 1913; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth24646/m1/71/?rotate=90: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.